SINGAPORE: Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Friday (Aug 28) offered his condolences after two bomb blasts on a restive southern Philippine island killed at least 14 people, calling it a "heinous" act of violence on innocent civilians. Dr Balakrishnan conveyed his condolences in a letter to Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin. Monday's explosions on the southwest island of Jolo in Sulu province killed a mix of soldiers, police, civilians and wounded at least 75 people. It is the Philippines' deadliest attack since a double suicide bombing at a church in January 2019 left 20 people dead and wounded at least 100. "I was saddened by the tragic loss of lives in the twin bombing attacks," said Dr Balakrishnan. "Please accept my sincere condolences for the victims and their families. I wish those injured a speedy recovery," he added. READ: Philippine army may seek martial law return after suicide attacks In his letter, Dr … [Read more...] about Twin bombings on Philippine island of Jolo ‘heinous’: FM Balakrishnan
Twin twin transfusion syndrome
Stretched but coping: How Singapore’s healthcare system has cranked up efforts to deal with COVID-19
SINGAPORE: In the initial weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore seemed well placed to handle the situation. Measures to limit the number of cases were seen as generally effective and the healthcare system could cope easily with the number of patients with capacity to spare. However, things have quickly changed from when the first COVID-19 case was reported here on Jan 23. In recent weeks, thousands of beds have found a home in buildings converted into care facilities. In order to support the bump in the number of beds, and those who may need them, professionals are being recalled, retrained and redeployed. Following a huge spike in the number of cases - 16,169 cases at the end of April compared to 926 cases at the end of March, the country’s healthcare system has been pushed hard to ensure that capacity can keep up with demand. At first, the number of infections remained low and maintained a steady pace. Until the beginning of April, new daily cases peaked at 73. … [Read more...] about Stretched but coping: How Singapore’s healthcare system has cranked up efforts to deal with COVID-19
God has not forgotten you
Kindly Share This Story: Glory be to God. We started January, saw the end of January and now we are saying goodbye to February 2021. It could only be God that has kept us alive. All Praises be to the Lord. Brethren, the time of fasting and praying, isn’t a time to be downcast. It is not a time for one’s spirit to be low. It is not the time to begin to give room to doubt. When we say prayers, like “ Remember me O Lord”. Does it mean God has forgotten us? Usually, those types of prayer points come up when we are still expecting to “ see God in action”. Brethren, God is always active. He never stops attending to us. No wonder the Psalmist said in Psalm 121 vs. 4 (KJV) “ Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep”. Many of us spend more time, asking “ God why me?” instead of thanking the LORD for those things he has been doing that are not visible to us. READ ALSO: Parents of kidnapped schoolgirls in Zamfara can only wait For … [Read more...] about God has not forgotten you